Augmenting Engagement
Building a Creative Community: Pedagogical and Artistic Intersections of Devised Theatre and Inclusive Practice
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Sage Tokach, Julia Listengarten
As inclusive theatre movements advocate for a shift from theatre for people with disabilities to theatre with people with disabilities, many arts organizations are reexamining their programs based in traditional performance practices that limit the inclusion of those with intellectual, developmental, and physical disabilities. This paper considers ways the process of devised theatre can be used as an artistic and educational approach for building inclusive artistic spaces. Using two productions at the University of Central Florida’s Pegasus PlayLab festival of new works as case studies, this paper explores the intersections between devised theatre and inclusive artistic practice and outlines how the two methodologies benefit each other, both pedagogically and creatively. From devised theatre, we examine the impact of personal story-sharing and interdisciplinary inspirations on creating a unified community. From inclusive artistic practice, we examine the effects of disabled leadership, as well as unique perspectives and new ways of thinking, on the creative process embedded in inclusive artistic spaces. Ultimately we propose that, when combined, the two approaches to theatre-making create a compelling collaboration and an inspired product. As we discuss these methodologies and practices, we ask how devised inclusive spaces can raise national awareness about disabilities, empower participants to build self-esteem and confidence, and offer a model for inclusive creative practices on university campuses and beyond.
Dance Is For Every BODY - Using Dance And Video to Create Inclusivity and Motivation for Those with Down Syndrome: An Interdisciplinary Collaboration between the Arts and Medicine
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Andrew Carroll
In 2010, University of South Florida Dance Professor Andrew Carroll was approached by The Florida Department of Health to develop a dance video intended to depict correct procedures of effectively cleaning a hospital room. Carroll, a former soloist with The Philadelphia Ballet, was intrigued to use dance in an interdisciplinary fashion. To date, Professor Carroll has now produced nine dance videos on behalf of medical or social justice issues including bullying, suicide awareness and human sex-trafficking among others that have been used globally by organizations eager to use the video format to educate and advocate on behalf of their respective issues. The videos were lauded for their ability to capture and engage interest, as well as providing a conduit for discussions, and have been the subjects of presentations at Arts in Society conferences. Professor Carroll’s interest in bettering society and demonstrating how the arts impact community continued when he became certified as a Dance for Parkinson’s teacher and established Tampa’s first program. Carroll then produced a motivational video to document the benefits of dance as seen through the lens of his Parkinson’s participants. This project was a subject for presentation at the Arts in Society Poland conference in 2023. Professor Carroll has now expanded his creative research agenda promoting dance and community to produce another motivational video geared towards Dance for Down Syndrome. It continues to create a new landscape as to “who can dance?” The paper highlights the creative aspects of these projects and the outcomes which ensued.
Fighting for Emancipation: How Iranian Activist Artists are Shaping the New Feminist Revolution "Woman, Life, Freedom"
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Fazilat Soukhakian
In September 2022, Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old woman, died in the custody of the Morality Police in Iran after a hard-handed arrest for not wearing her headscarf properly. This instigated a strong response from the Iranian people and inspired a movement under the slogan “Woman, Life, Freedom.” This quickly evolved into a broader feminist revolution aiming to return women’s rights and strive for gender equality. Across the country, mass protests have resulted in the killing and torture of thousands of young Iranian people who have been challenging the Islamic regime’s control over their bodies and lives. Through the veil of anonymity, young artists from across the country have been able to express their emotions and respond to the chaos and violence around them by creating artwork. At high risk of getting arrested by the regime, they work from hidden, underground spaces and fuel the revolution with their anonymous art. This paper analyzes how art activists have responded to different case studies of gender-based violence in Iran. Art activism is used as a tool to investigate the cultural politics of women’s bodies in contemporary Iranian society. Using critical theories of social change, its relationship with art in the Iranian setting is examined. By investigating the politics of art activism and the relationship between aesthetics and politics, I argue how art impacts society and how social change and justice have become the mere focus of artistic activism in Iranian society.
